Latest
Plan to charge up to $31k for gas connections in Victoria
The latest Allan government’s strategy to wean Victorians off gas could charge businesses and households up front connection fees rather than via bills over time.
- Gus McCubbing
- Analysis
- Chris Bowen
‘Blackout’ Bowen: the man conservatives love to hate
The energy minister has been a top performer for Labor, winning blockbuster carbon and energy battles against all odds. But he has plenty of fights ahead.
- Updated
- Jacob Greber
NSW to get huge solar farm as green energy rush accelerates
The go-ahead for the Culcairn project to be built near Albury picks up the pace on the state’s renewables build-out – which is lagging 2030 targets.
- Angela Macdonald-Smith
After her power bill doubled, this grocer had to make a change
Relief on electricity prices is in sight after deep falls in wholesale prices, but the pain is acute in South Australia and NSW where power bills are highest.
- Ben Potter
Australia will adopt ‘Euro 6’ fuel standard by late 2025
Labor says the move will increase the price of petrol by a modest 1¢ per litre, but allow importers to sell more efficient vehicles already common in Europe and elsewhere.
- Jacob Greber
This Month
Japan, Korea underpin aspiring hydrogen projects
Power utilities from Japan and South Korea are among the major backers of six ammonia and clean fuels projects that will duel it out for $2 billion of federal funds.
- Updated
- Angela Macdonald-Smith and Brad Thompson
Renewables are cheapest, even with poles, wires and batteries added in
CSIRO’s annual price comparison of energy sources include transmission and storage costs in renewables calculations for the first time. They still come out on top.
- Ben Potter
AGL lights up Liddell battery, Forrest wind farm seals NSW contract
The latest round of NSW renewables and storage projects coincides with AGL Energy giving the go-ahead to build a $750 million large-scale battery at its Liddell site.
- Updated
- Angela Macdonald-Smith
NSW wind farm heads for approval, breaking project drought
A contentious renewables project near a historic gold mine looks set to be the first large wind farm approved in NSW since May 2021.
- Angela Macdonald-Smith
Climate body targets cattle barons on methane emissions
Some of the nation’s biggest pastoral companies generate enough greenhouse gas emissions to be counted as major polluters, says the Climate Change Authority.
- Jacob Greber
Santos secures drilling approval for Barossa gas project
The approval will allow Santos to resume drilling at the Barossa field in the Timor Sea, which it had to suspend last year after a successful legal challenge by a Tiwi Islander.
- Angela Macdonald-Smith
- Exclusive
- Electric vehicles
PEP bets $250m on EV charging firm founded in a Sydney garage
Most of the cash will be used to drive EVSE’s growth and integration with Intellihub smart meters to help customers manage their charging and protect the grid.
- Ben Potter
‘Too much risk’: Call for strategic coal power reserves
The head of the electricity supplier, Mark Collette, wants serious discussions on a scheme for a coal power reserve to prevent the lights going out on consumers.
- Angela Macdonald-Smith
‘Don’t do it’: Woodside investors baulk at Santos tie-up
Portfolio managers are understood to have voiced concerns to chairman Richard Goyder and senior management that a merger just for scale doesn’t make sense.
- Angela Macdonald-Smith
The world just made it clear the fossil fuel era is ending
More than any climate deal before it, the new pact reflects a recognition that the world is doing more harm than good by prolonging the era of coal, oil and gas.
- Chico Harlan, Maxine Joselow and Timothy Puko
Coal power ‘to be gone in 15 years’
All coal power plants will have closed by 2038, the energy market operator said in a forecast that piles on pressure to pick up the pace of the transmission build-out.
- Angela Macdonald-Smith
Four key takeaways from the new energy market roadmap
Coal is dead, the consumer is king, rising costs are squeezing new transmission and utility-scale generation projects, and gas will play an indispensable but small role.
- Ben Potter
- Exclusive
- Environmental protection
Unions line up to back offshore gas against environmental activists
The AWU and MUA say vulnerabilities in Australia’s approvals regime are being exploited to stop or delay major projects and must be changed to save jobs.
- Angela Macdonald-Smith
Victoria to offer discounts to switch stoves from gas to electric
The Victorian government has expanded its plan to end the use of consumer gas by offering discounts for residents upgrading to electric induction cooktops.
- Gus McCubbing
Greenpeace takes Woodside to court alleging greenwashing
The environmental activists allege the oil and gas producer is misrepresenting its emission reduction efforts because it relies on carbon offsets.
- Updated
- Angela Macdonald-Smith
COP28 deal says gas to play role in energy transition
Climate change and energy minister Chris Bowen hailed the stronger than expected COP28 outcome as a way to bolster Australia’s transition to renewable energy.
- Hans van Leeuwen
- Updated
- Energy transition
COP28 deal pledges fossil fuel ‘transition’ for first time
After a marathon round of backroom wrangling, the 198-nation summit endorsed a “transition away from” fossil fuels by 2050.
- Updated
- Hans van Leeuwen
Santos could draw global interest amid Woodside talks
Expectations of global interest in Santos came as CEO Kevin Gallagher told staff Woodside had approached Santos several times over the past year or so.
- Angela Macdonald-Smith
Labor hits family-friendly hybrids with luxury car tax
Popular models such as Toyota Klugers will be included in a new definition of fuel efficiency and face a 33 per cent tax.
- Jacob Greber
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
We’re still the iron ore lucky country. It won’t last forever
A surging iron ore price is driving Australia’s post-pandemic budget repair, the mid-year update shows. But the lucky country’s resources luck shouldn’t be taken as a given.
- Updated
- James Thomson
